What Happens When You Contact Us?

Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas is fortunate to receive referrals from various sources. Since we have been providing services in Collin County for over 15 years, many pediatricians and specialists send us clients. Another source of referrals are from insurance since we are network providers with many major insurance companies. We are also honored to receive numerous referrals based on current and past client recommendations. And then of course, we get a good number of new clients from our website. And that may be why you are reading this article!

But receiving a call is just the first step.

When you call our office, we complete a thorough intake, targeting information that will best help us find out about insurance coverage. Our questions also helps us determine the best fit with a therapist based on your child’s needs and when you are available for therapy.

Our patient coordinator then completes a benefit verification. After determining benefits, the patient coordinator will contact you with verification information and any out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles and co-pays. We also let you know if your plan requires a pre-authorization before beginning treatment. We want to provide you with as much information as possible about the cost of treatment so that you can make an informed decision. We also provide you with grant information if you want to see if you qualify for this additional resource. We always remind families that information from an insurance company is not a guarantee of coverage, thought typically we given accurate information. About 20% of our clients are private pay. We take credit cards to assist with budgeting.

If you give us the go ahead for an evaluation and treatment, your child’s intake will be sent to a speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, or both, depending on your request. The therapist selected will depend on your child’s needs as well as your time and day availability. We find that afterschool times go quickly so the more flexibility you have during the day, the quicker your child can be seen. We are constantly dismissing clients who have reached their goals, so afterschool times may open up quickly.

Your therapist will call you to introduce herself and ask some questions that will help determine which assessment tools might be most appropriate for your child. You will be asked to download important forms from our website to complete prior to the evaluation. One important set of forms is the child case history. This questionnaire helps the therapist get the best understanding of your child’s history, strengths and weaknesses. It is very important to complete this prior to the evaluation because we must include this pertinent information in the formal evaluation report.

We ask families to come 10 minutes prior to the scheduled evaluation so the therapist can review the case history. This also gives our front desk staff to review other paperwork with you, like consent forms and our attendance policy.

The therapist will be prepared to do standardized and observational assessment. In many cases, there will be some criterion referenced checklists or tools that also provide valuable information for the assessment process. Evaluations typically take one hour. In rare situations a therapist may need to ask a family to return for a second session.

Our therapists typically complete the evaluation report within a week of completing testing. The therapist reviews any related medical records from specialists, as well as the case history and any checklists that have been completed. The standardized scores along with the history and other assessment tools will be used to complete a detailed report and treatment plan for your child. A copy of your child’s report will be sent to your pediatrician unless you ask us not to do so. However, we typically need a physician’s order on file for insurance so it is important to have a referring physician we can contact.

In situations where a pre-authorization is required, we will submit the report to insurance for approval for therapy. After we get approval, or in situations where approval is not required, the therapist will contact you to set up the first treatment session. Your therapist will answer some questions during this call regarding the outcome of the evaluation. During the first session, the report will be reviewed and explained and you are encouraged to ask questions. Then a short treatment session will complete the visit.

Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas uses a partnership model. This means we expect a parent or designated caregiver to join the treatment session at least five minutes prior to the end of the session. Evidence based practices recommend family involvement to receive the greatest value from treatment. We want your child to make good progress as quickly as possible, based on their unique needs. We discuss treatment progress at each session and we provide strategies, training, and when appropriate, worksheets and materials for home practice. Practice is important for generalization!

We are unique because we strive to keep a more personal, small clinic feel, while staying abreast of rapid healthcare changes that impact a family’s ability to get insurance coverage for much-needed treatment. We care about our clients and we know this is an investment of time and resources in the child’s current and future success. We also know that third party payers (and other professionals with who we partner) need for us to stay on top of changes in our fields. Many larger clinics/facilities have stricter productivity ratios. This means their therapists may not have much time to prepare or complete paperwork. We strive to allow our therapists ample time to prepare for sessions and to build relationships with their families.

Our therapist as the best! Every therapist has specific training and experience in pediatrics and loves helping their clients and supporting families.

If we can answer additional questions about our services or our processes, please call us at 972-424-0148

Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas looks forward to hearing from you soon!